About the High School Huddle

Welcome to the Citizen-Times' constantly-updated blog for Western North Carolina high school sports. Features include breaking news, scores and stats, college recruiting updates and live blogs from some of the marquee games in WNC. Readers are encouraged to comment on posts, but personal attacks on current athletes, coaches and their families will not be tolerated and are subject to edit or removal at the moderator's discretion.

The Panthers have beaten Swain County six consecutive years since this series resumed in 2006, including a 14-6 game last year in Macon County.

“I don’t know if there’s so much of a revenge factor for us,” Maroon Devils coach Neil Blankenship said.

“Franklin has owned us lately and we’re just trying to win one. This has always been a big rivalry, a different kind of rivalry. It’s not as big for us as Cherokee or Murphy, but we have respect for each other. It’s a big game and we treat it as a big game.”

Maroon Devils quarterback Raymius Smith (553 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions) shares the Western North Carolina lead in passing yardage, thanks largely to Matthew Maennle (12 receptions for 304 yards and two touchdowns) and Greg Tisho (11 receptions for 288 yards and four touchdowns).

But Blankenship has plenty of concern about the rushing attack his team will face on Friday – namely Panthers tailback Marquel Manning (477 yards, seven touchdowns) and his fullback, Jeremiah Young (205 yards, two touchdowns).

“They have to be one of the top tandems in Western North Carolina for running backs, if not the best,” Blankenship said.

“We know what they’re capable of and we know that Franklin is going to be well-coached and physical. It should be a good one.”

Not surprisingly with the team he inherited, Blankenship has fared much better than the five other first-year coaches in WNC. Together, the group of six coaches at Andrews, Hayesville, North Buncombe, North Henderson, Swain County and Tuscola are a combined 5-13.